jerry sandusky Penn State President

[albion]

This statement is so ridiculous as be an insult to America. I think Penn State should just shut its sports programs down. From what I have read, the University is paying out settlements. Out of court settlements.

I cant pinpoint what I like the least about the statement, but I do enjoy the "we have worked to be diligent" claim. As if they were only 50% diligent before, but now, by God, they are working to be 75% diligent. Cause those boys there at Penn State strive to be diligent.

OK. From now on, when you tell the coach of a major university about sexual molestation, it has to be in written form and signed by all involved. The fact that you may have been only 10 years old and had just been groped or worse by a large sweaty assistant coach doesn't mean you don't have to follow the rules.

"May 9 2016

Dear Friends:

Over the past few days, allegations have surfaced from individuals who claim to be Sandusky victims and from unidentified individuals about the alleged knowledge of former University employees. None of these allegations about the supposed knowledge of University employees has been substantiated in a court of law or in any other process to test their veracity.

I want you to know I am appalled by the rumor, innuendo and rush to judgment that have accompanied the media stories surrounding these allegations. All too often in our society, people are convicted in the court of public opinion, only to find a different outcome when all the facts are presented.

In contrast, over the last two days we have worked to be diligent in reanalyzing the record of reports and depositions to ensure that our reactions and comments are both responsible and trustworthy.

First, the allegations related to Penn State are simply not established fact. The two allegations related to knowledge by Coach Paterno are unsubstantiated and unsupported by any evidence other than a claim by an alleged victim. They date from the 1970s. Coach Paterno is not alive to refute them. His family has denied them.

Second, we cannot find any evidence, related to a settlement or otherwise, that an alleged early assault was communicated to Coach Paterno. This raises considerable credibility issues as to this press report. Others cite assistant coaches that were witnesses or had knowledge – stating it as fact in headlines and text – even in the face of a denial and clear failure to corroborate from the individuals allegedly involved. Other stories are clearly incredulous, and should be difficult for any reasonable person to believe. We should not be rendering judgments about the actions of Coach Paterno or any other former employees of Penn State based on incomplete, sensationalized media accounts.

I can think of few crimes as heinous as the sexual assault of a child. We are, as individuals and as an institution, appalled by Sandusky’s actions, and unified in our commitment to prevention, treatment and education. I encourage you to visit this link for information on Penn State’s commitment.

Unfortunately, we can’t control the 24/7 news cycle, and the tendency of some individuals in social media and the blogosphere to rush to judgment. But I have had enough of the continued trial of the institution in various media. We have all had enough. And while Penn State cannot always comment on allegations that emanate from legal proceedings, I thought it was important to let you know my reaction to the media frenzy that has ensued over the past few days. I am appalled.

Sincerely,

Eric Barron
President"

[sammyt]

It's somewhat reminiscent of the Jimmy Savile case in the UK.

Covering up institutionalised paedophilia is IMO much more than individual institutions protecting their necks.

As David Icke says, it's the glue that holds the elite together.

[agatha]

May 9, 2016 18:22:49 GMT sammyt said:

It's somewhat reminiscent of the Jimmy Savile case in the UK.

Covering up institutionalised paedophilia is IMO much more than individual institutions protecting their necks.

As David Icke says, it's the glue that holds the elite together.

Sammyt, you are quoting David Icke!!! He is a fascinating character. I may not agree with everything he says, but he's right on the money about the powers behind the control institutions. Most people don't want to hear what he has to say, because it's too frightening. But you know his opinion on denial........people who have their heads in the sand are on their knees with their asses in the air. Well said.  And Albion, I couldn't agree with you more. I'm sure you've watched SPOTLIGHT and SINS OF THE FATHERS? In my opinion, egregious and despicable as THAT whole issue is, it's merely the tip of the iceberg. Pedophilia in the Catholic Church and institutions like Penn State is a tiny fraction of the incredible corruption in ALL institutions. Anyplace where there is money and power is rotten to the core. 

[agatha]

Having said that, I have to confess,( pardon the pun), that I was as oblivious as anybody about this issue. My brothers used to come home from serving as altar boys, in Santa Barbara, with all sorts of stories and pejoratives in regards to this priest's behaviors. I'm ashamed to admit that we all dismissed their stories as the standard complaints of annoying younger brothers. We were simply ignorant, unaware, and clueless. It was the 70s and topics like child molesting priests simply weren't on the radar. I'm appalled at our lack of awareness and our failure to respond appropriately to the complaints of those boys. Fortunately, this particular offender was charged and served many years in prison. My brothers managed to avoid him, although some of their friends were not as lucky. Should anyone believe that these accusations are overblown, consider that I later moved to a small, remote community, and THAT parish priest is also now serving time for pedophilia. What are the odds? It's far more common than we want to accept.
albion's comments remind me of my time at university. I attended a school renowned for its athletics. ( Not, by the way, why I was there.) It was very difficult, as a student with few financial resources, who worked almost full time my entire college career, and who struggled to make ends meet while competing in a rigorous academic program. It was frustrating, and a cause for some bitterness, to witness the very different experience of the school athletes. They received full athletic scholarships, room, board, monthly stipends, were wined, dined, included in all sorts of social events with school administrators, wealthy alumni and Hollywood notables, received free private tutoring in an attempt to get their grade point averages up to the minimum, while they spent much of their time partying, drinking and generally carousing. There was a separate set of academic standards and behavioral expectations for them, because they could kick or throw a ball. I saw this repeated when my daughters attended university. If anything, it's worse now, because college athletics have become an even bigger revenue source. Bad behavior on the part of college athletes is par for the course. They are babied, indulged, and allowed to get away with any amount of outrageous misbehavior. They feel entitled. It's high time universities got out of the sports business and started being about education. As long as money is the driving force, schools will continue to turn a blind eye to these criminals.

[tmacchallenger]

May 9, 2016 18:22:49 GMT sammyt said:

It's somewhat reminiscent of the Jimmy Savile case in the UK.

Covering up institutionalised paedophilia is IMO much more than individual institutions protecting their necks.

As David Icke says, it's the glue that holds the elite together.

I think you mention Saville in about 80% of your posts

[tmacchallenger]

Colleges rush to coddle students for every little thing that happens. A student forgot to lock his bike up and it got stolen? We have counseling available for any students that feel traumatised after hearing about the incident.

Between garbage like this overprotection of a simple sports program, and the new wave of millenial students discouraging free speech, colleges have become a joke.

[fordprefect]

A healthy amount of blame should also go to Penn State alumni and fans. They continued to defend Penn State and good ol' Joe Pa. When current and former students and Penn State fans don't expect or want any better, then the institution has even less of an incentive for meaningful action or change. If only 50 people bought tickets for game day--and 1000 people were outside protesting--that would have sent a powerful message. They, however, demonstrated their priorities: football > children.

[Mitchell]

May 9, 2016 19:08:33 GMT agatha said:

Having said that, I have to confess,( pardon the pun), that I was as oblivious as anybody about this issue. My brothers used to come home from serving as altar boys, in Santa Barbara, with all sorts of stories and pejoratives in regards to this priest's behaviors. I'm ashamed to admit that we all dismissed their stories as the standard complaints of annoying younger brothers. We were simply ignorant, unaware, and clueless. It was the 70s and topics like child molesting priests simply weren't on the radar. I'm appalled at our lack of awareness and our failure to respond appropriately to the complaints of those boys. Fortunately, this particular offender was charged and served many years in prison. My brothers managed to avoid him, although some of their friends were not as lucky. Should anyone believe that these accusations are overblown, consider that I later moved to a small, remote community, and THAT parish priest is also now serving time for pedophilia. What are the odds? It's far more common than we want to accept.
albion's comments remind me of my time at university. I attended a school renowned for its athletics. ( Not, by the way, why I was there.) It was very difficult, as a student with few financial resources, who worked almost full time my entire college career, and who struggled to make ends meet while competing in a rigorous academic program. It was frustrating, and a cause for some bitterness, to witness the very different experience of the school athletes. They received full athletic scholarships, room, board, monthly stipends, were wined, dined, included in all sorts of social events with school administrators, wealthy alumni and Hollywood notables, received free private tutoring in an attempt to get their grade point averages up to the minimum, while they spent much of their time partying, drinking and generally carousing. There was a separate set of academic standards and behavioral expectations for them, because they could kick or throw a ball. I saw this repeated when my daughters attended university. If anything, it's worse now, because college athletics have become an even bigger revenue source. Bad behavior on the part of college athletes is par for the course. They are babied, indulged, and allowed to get away with any amount of outrageous misbehavior. They feel entitled. It's high time universities got out of the sports business and started being about education. As long as money is the driving force, schools will continue to turn a blind eye to these criminals.

I definitely agree with much that you said. You are always quite insightful and look forward to reading your posts.

On the subject of collegiate athletics I would differ a bit. You stated that student athletes received special treatment because they could throw or kick a ball. This is a bit reductive. They receive special treatment because they generate revenue for the school(as you then went on to state). And lots of it.

The reason I quibble is that if athletics were eliminated from college campuses, the same problems would remain. Colleges are for-profit machines and serve God Money above all else. The school, in this case Penn State, has a vested interest in covering up any unflattering or criminal behaviour on their part regardless of the department in which it happens. Their is just too much at stake financially. Once you say Jerry Sandusky, the athletic director, has been caught molesting young boys on campus, it matters little of it is followed by, "In the men's locker room".

As was said, the football ticket buying public was complicit, tacitly approving with each ticket sold.

[albion]

Barron is talking out of both sides of his mouth.  The insurance company and the University are paying out settlements. So some of the cases wont go to court. And now he is saying because they wont go to court, the claims will never be substantiated, and therefor, it isn't a proven fact. Of course those settlements will have the disclaimer that the University is not accepting guilt by making the payments. But imho, they are also obstructing justice in a sense. Theses cases should go to trial. At the very least to find out if others knew or were involved. If there were people who knew, and said nothing, then that could have been a crime. The institution should not be allowed to just pay money for these crimes to go away. The institution should be held accountable. Money is not enough of a penalty, or deterrent, in these sexual molestation cases.  

Barron needs to just shut up. He cant make what happened any less heinous by his stupid comments. He needs to just apologize. He needs to acknowledge that Penn State's and Coach Paterno's reputations are tarnished, and will be. And he needs to pay the settlements, and allow for these cases to go court.

"The settlements, including the one covering the 1971 allegation, were reached after Sandusky's 2012 conviction. But few details have been provided on the payouts by either the school or lawyers for those who said Sandusky victimized them.

The allegations about Paterno and the assistant coaches were cited in a ruling last week by Philadelphia Judge Gary Glazer in litigation between an insurance company and Penn State over how much of the settlement costs the school must bear.

The insurers cited an allegation that a boy had told the longtime Penn State football coach in 1976 that he had been molested by Sandusky. The court document also cited statements, from those claiming they had been Sandusky's victims, that two unidentified assistant coaches had said they witnessed inappropriate contact between Sandusky and children in the late 1980s.

Barron wrote the university community Sunday that he was "appalled by the rumor, innuendo and rush to judgment" following Glazer's disclosure of some allegations made against Paterno and some of his assistants.


Read more: www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/Penn-State-Settlements-Tied-to-Jerry-Sandusky-Abuse-Date-Back-to-1971-378615511.html#ixzz48CGbZkOm

[Deleted]

If you have Netflix there is a great documentary about this case streaming right now. It's called Happy Valley and you have to look in the documentary section because there is a British mystery by the same name available. About 8 minutes in you will see exactly why Sandusky was able to get away with his s**t for so long. The victims were the locals that nobody cared about. They were "those kids".

[Deleted]

For what it's worth, I thought it was suspicious on the face of it when Joe P. dropped dead all of a sudden, and nobody knew he had cancer, apparently. Correct me if I'm wrong.

[agatha]

May 9, 2016 21:28:40 GMT Mitchell said:

May 9, 2016 19:08:33 GMT agatha said:

Having said that, I have to confess,( pardon the pun), that I was as oblivious as anybody about this issue. My brothers used to come home from serving as altar boys, in Santa Barbara, with all sorts of stories and pejoratives in regards to this priest's behaviors. I'm ashamed to admit that we all dismissed their stories as the standard complaints of annoying younger brothers. We were simply ignorant, unaware, and clueless. It was the 70s and topics like child molesting priests simply weren't on the radar. I'm appalled at our lack of awareness and our failure to respond appropriately to the complaints of those boys. Fortunately, this particular offender was charged and served many years in prison. My brothers managed to avoid him, although some of their friends were not as lucky. Should anyone believe that these accusations are overblown, consider that I later moved to a small, remote community, and THAT parish priest is also now serving time for pedophilia. What are the odds? It's far more common than we want to accept.
albion's comments remind me of my time at university. I attended a school renowned for its athletics. ( Not, by the way, why I was there.) It was very difficult, as a student with few financial resources, who worked almost full time my entire college career, and who struggled to make ends meet while competing in a rigorous academic program. It was frustrating, and a cause for some bitterness, to witness the very different experience of the school athletes. They received full athletic scholarships, room, board, monthly stipends, were wined, dined, included in all sorts of social events with school administrators, wealthy alumni and Hollywood notables, received free private tutoring in an attempt to get their grade point averages up to the minimum, while they spent much of their time partying, drinking and generally carousing. There was a separate set of academic standards and behavioral expectations for them, because they could kick or throw a ball. I saw this repeated when my daughters attended university. If anything, it's worse now, because college athletics have become an even bigger revenue source. Bad behavior on the part of college athletes is par for the course. They are babied, indulged, and allowed to get away with any amount of outrageous misbehavior. They feel entitled. It's high time universities got out of the sports business and started being about education. As long as money is the driving force, schools will continue to turn a blind eye to these criminals.

I definitely agree with much that you said. You are always quite insightful and look forward to reading your posts.

On the subject of collegiate athletics I would differ a bit. You stated that student athletes received special treatment because they could throw or kick a ball. This is a bit reductive. They receive special treatment because they generate revenue for the school(as you then went on to state). And lots of it.

The reason I quibble is that if athletics were eliminated from college campuses, the same problems would remain. Colleges are for-profit machines and serve God Money above all else. The school, in this case Penn State, has a vested interest in covering up any unflattering or criminal behaviour on their part regardless of the department in which it happens. Their is just too much at stake financially. Once you say Jerry Sandusky, the athletic director, has been caught molesting young boys on campus, it matters little of it is followed by, "In the men's locker room".

As was said, the football ticket buying public was complicit, tacitly approving with each ticket sold.

So well stated, Mitchell! I agree with you completely. It's all about the filthy lucre. I just assume that's a given in ANY situation. There's a never-ending supply of psychopaths in this world who will do anything for a buck. Some of them kill people. The majority run businesses, corporations, UNIVERSITIES. That was really my point in the previous post. What if schools were to go back to the sole purpose of academics? What if there were no profit motive, because higher education was so valued, that it was made available to all?  And what if, ( and this will be a huge stretch for many), education were considered a human right?  If I had any money, I'd bet it all that there is a chorus screaming at me from their computers....." How would you pay for that?" .  Like I said. It's all about the filthy lucre, isn't it?

[Drifter]

I agree with the general theme that universities with high-powered sports programs have been corrupted by money.

And the overall blame goes to Americans who place "winning" as the only value of importance.

If the truth were known, I doubt that Penn State is very much different than most big-name sports universities. Keep those athletes and the coaching staff happy, no matter how unethical (or criminal) they may be ...

D.

[Deleted]

Sorry to all you Texans, but this reminds me a little of the Lance Armstrong case albeit on a much much lesser scale. Lance kept winning too, . . . everyone loves a winner. Most people in their hearts knew or at least suspected that Lance was dirty, yet put their suspicions on hold because he was so popular. Every time a journalist asked lance about doping he would respond "look I'm here talking about finding a cure to cancer and all you want to talk about is doping."  A brilliant strategy ...  if you're against me you're against the cure for cancer.  In public appearances Armstrong had cozied up to the White House, and inexplicably (eye roll) the Justice Dept. in 2012 dropped their investigation just before the presidential reelection.  Think about that for a minute .... the White House likely curtailed the investigation into the fraud of the century. A systemic pervasive effort to protect one person.

The US Anti-Doping Administration, an independent body, picked up the ball the Justice Dept. dropped. Armstrong sued in Fed Court to stop the investigation, and were it not for a few people in the inner-circle, nearly won.

On the day he was stripped of his titles, he tweeted a pic of himself reclining on the couch underneath his seven yellow jerseys.  Arrogance.

[sammyt]

May 9, 2016 19:34:05 GMT tmacchallenger said:

May 9, 2016 18:22:49 GMT sammyt said:

It's somewhat reminiscent of the Jimmy Savile case in the UK.

Covering up institutionalised paedophilia is IMO much more than individual institutions protecting their necks.

As David Icke says, it's the glue that holds the elite together.

I think you mention Saville in about 80% of your posts

Who is Saville?

Do you mean Sir James Wilson Vincent Savile, OBE, KCSG?

Reported 34 times to various police forces for rape...never charged...over 450 known rape victims...ranging from age 5 to 75...

IMO the Sandusky and Savile cases share many similarities, which is why I mentioned Savile (yet again).